Rolling Stones in Sydenham

[Bovine Juice]

According to this month's Mojo magazine article about Brian Jones and the Stones' earliest period, a schoolboy Mick Jagger spent a year rehearsing with his very first band in a house in Alexandra Road!

I can't find anything about this on the web. Anybody know anything more about the Alexandra Road connection? Seems extremely dubious that a Dartford schoolboy would be travelling to Penge/Sydenham for a year.

[stuart]

Bill Wyman was brought up by his aunt in Penge. His autobiography makes much of the formation of the group and the bonding (or otherwise) between members. If he was aware of a Penge connection with Mick I would have thought he would have mentioned it. But I don't remember any mention. Mind you its been a few years since I read it.

Stuart

[Bovine Juice]

Bill Wyman was brought up by his aunt in Penge. His autobiography makes much of the formation of the group and the bonding (or otherwise) between members. If he was aware of a Penge connection with Mick I would have thought he would have mentioned it. But I don't remember any mention. Mind you its been a few years since I read it.

Stuart

I read it more recently. I think his family moved to Lower Sydenham some time after the Stones were formed but by then he was an adult and not home much. In fact he was a bit of a snob and not proud of his working class roots so has a habit of referring to "going back to Beckenham" even though he was actually referring to Penge.

[davetheeagle]

I posted some years ago that Bill Wyman lived at 18 Miall Road. His actual name is William George Perks.

According to the 1939 Register taken on the outbreak of war his father William G Perks and mother Kathleen Mary Jeffery (known as Molly according to Wikipedia) lived at no.38. His grandparents Alfred Henry Perks and Alice C Roberts lived at no.16. As Bill Wyman is still alive his name has been redacted from the record. However, given his age (under 3) and the fact that his mother was living at home it is unlikely that he had been evacuated at that time as many kids were.

[terryp]

Wow this is a good find. I was born in 1948 and from the age of 12 lived in Priestfield Rd so St Miichaels youth club was just down the road and in my middle to late teens a regular haunt. I remember every thing about it that other people have posted including the Rolling Stones gig. I used to hang out with a guy called Mo Ball who was Bill Wymans cousin so didn't have to pay the 7/6 entrance fee which was two gallons of petrol!! Also used to hang out with Brian Jacks who taught us judo moves and went on to win gold medals. His dad ran a car hire company and he used one of his dads Rolls Royces and we were once pulled by the old bill who couldn't believe a bunch of snotty teens were riding around in a roller. I can add some more on the Mod/Rocker debate. For some reason, I think girl related, a gang of rockers decided to descend on St Michaels for a punch up. We knew they were coming so were tooled up and ready for them. The vicar of St Michaels at the time was an Australian and a bit of a hard nut and I can still see him in his frock standing on the balcony above the entrance with some other blokes holding a wooden roof ladder which was dropped on the gang as they burst through the door. The fighting was only stopped by the arrival of the old bill and "tools" were quickly thrown out of the side door. As has been said this club was a mix of mods and rockers with good natured rivalry between scooter and motorbike riders. I had a Lambretta scooter and Mo Ball had a Triumph T100 and after he convinced me to take a ride on the back whereupon he took the bend at Bell Green with sparks coming of the footrests I was converted to riding motorbikes which I have done for the rest of my life. Many good memories of St Michaels!!

[Michael Viner]

Thanks so much for sharing those great memories,Terry-they inspired me to dig out an old cutting from the Lewisham Journal, December 6th 1963 re. the grand,torchlight opening (by the Bishop of Woolwich) of the new,revamped St.Michael's Youth Centre,with large,illuminated 'St Michael's Club' sign over the entrance,state- of -the- art Coffee Bar ,renovated dance floor etc. As you rightly recall the vicar of St Michaels then was an Australian,Rev.A Methven.The youth leader in charge of the club was Liverpudlian Mike Lacey of Newlands Park,who had recently come to Sydenham. I'll quote some of the article,I hope it brings back some memories:

"The big hall..-now painted 'snow print' white with red flecks (with) a 'harvest yellow' ceiling and bright yellow exit doors..two shiny blue columns support an impressive balcony where members can chat..the balcony leads into a well-lit room suitable for table tennis and other games..The coffee bar itself is the star feature..large round lights inset over the bar give a bright West End effect.The floor is of red,greeny- blue and yellow vinyl tiles and the end wall is in glowing Toreador red. The dance floor of maple-strip has been preserved and renovated. Membership cost is 1s 6d a week (that's about 7p to younger readers) plus 1s 6d for the Wednesday dance."In the Spring (1964) we hope to have a big 'do' with one or two big pop stars coming along" the Rev.Methven said"

Sounds great!! Wish I had been old enough to go.Shame it did'nt last.Was it the hall just past the Bell pub and the old Bath House,which was demolished 10/15 years ago for housing,or was it on the same side as the gasworks ? An old family friend Christine Franks (now Griffiths) was a member of the old club-which only had 50 members according to the article- in 1959/60.
I expect Sydenham's own 60's beat group Kenny Bernard & the Wranglers were regulars at the club,as Kenny lived just across the road in Holmshaw Rd.! Kenny made some good and now sought after Soul 45's in the mid-60's as well as a fine Psychedelic single with his late 60's group,'The Cats Pyjamas'!

Re. Bill Wyman,whose aunt lived opposite me on Sydenham Hill Estate when I was growing up-in the 60's he produced a great,rare Psychedelic LP 'Introspection' by the End and also 3 really nice but sadly unsuccessful 45's on Decca by local Forest Hill singer Bobbie Miller (real name Audrey Welleans (1942-2018)) Not sure whereabouts in Forest Hill she lived,but a Oct.1965 Lewisham Borough News article (with a photo of Bobbie and Bill Wyman together) mentions this.

[terryp]

It was the hall next door to the bath house and there was a big do and the big band was the Rolling Stones.

[Michael Viner]

Thanks for that,Terry,yes,I thought it was the hall next to the Bath House. In the early 1980's when the hall was called the Bell Green Centre,I used to go to Jumble Sales there and it was very plain and ordinary inside I seem to remember-the coffee bar and everything else from the Youth Club was gone,I'm pretty sure;it was used as a social club for the elderly at the time.It was demolished around 2005,somewhere around then.
It's nice that today's Lower Sydenham teenagers have a slightly similar place to go-the former London City Mission Hall in what was Relinque Rd. next to Home Park is now a dance studio and performing arts centre for local young people.I walked past there the other day.

[donthedec]

Hi all my friend lived next door to roof harris from the 60s up unto the 80s .
I was always round his house ..
harris bought my friends house and his mum bought the house next door so they just movedca long one.
And harris paid for it to be completely decorated not by
him lol .
Then harris had the two houses knocked
into one